The Word
by Dorus the Walrus
Summary: Susan was not spirited to Narnia during The Last Battle because she had forgotten and was lost forever, but because Aslan knew that one day she would be needed.
1. Prologue

**The Word**

_Prologue_

Mary watched enviously as her mother carefully traced the tube of lipstick across her mouth. Her once naturally pink lips became concealed underneath the modern nude color. Pressing her lips together, the woman stood up and began to head towards the door.

Mary immediately jumped up from her mother's bed to follow her out. "Mum, is it okay if I go visit Elizabeth?"

The woman shook her head as she fumbled with her pearl earrings. "No, I don't want you leaving the house while I'm gone. Something could happen."

The girl heaved a dramatic sigh. "But you're just going to the store! Nothing bad will happen!"

"Mary, I said no."

With a pout the girl stomped off towards her bedroom. The woman winced as she heard the door slam.

Susan gave a quick glance at her daughter's door, contemplating whether or not she should scold her for her behavior, before deciding it would be better if she just left. As Susan started the car she wondered if perhaps she was being a bit overprotective. That had always been Edmund's biggest complaint. It would be impossible to count how many times he had called her a wet blanket or a spoilsport. But then thoughts of Edmund always brought up thoughts of _what happened_ to Edmund. 'No,' Susan thought as she drove down the street. 'There is no such thing as being too overprotective.'

Even though she was secure in the knowledge that her daughter was safe at home where nothing bad could get to her, Susan felt irrepressively anxious and depressed. She wanted to run home, scoop Mary into her arms, and call John and beg him to come home early. But she was just being silly. The world couldn't come to a stop just to soothe away her fears. Susan continued to mentally berate herself as she drove into the store parking lot.

Susan frowned when she opened the door and saw that the entire lot was littered with puddles from the recent storm. There was no getting around it; she was going to get her new shoes wet. Carefully Susan stepped into what she thought was a relatively shallow puddle. To her horror the puddle turned out to be quite deep and her leg up to the middle of her calf became completely submerged in the muddy rain water. As Susan tried to get her bearing she realized that she was continuing to sink. The water was now up around her waist and she was going under fast. Desperately Susan tried to grab hold of the car door, but she slipped, unable to get a firm hold. She fell into the watery depths.

Susan twisted, trying to find her way out of the water. Then she noticed a light and swam towards it, erupting from the puddle fully dry. Blinking rapidly, Susan pulled herself up onto the grassy bank and looked around. She was in the middle of a forest that was littered with large puddles like the one she had just crawled out of. Despite the fact that she had just previously been in standing in the middle of a rather mundane store parking lot, Susan didn't feel frightened at all. How could she with the sun shining through and the peaceful stillness of the forest? She just felt so overwhelmed with a sense of tranquility and lethary. Susan supposed that she should attempt to find her way back home before John and Mary started to worry, and yet the only thing Susan did was sit down and lean back against one of the forest's solid trees. As her eyelids fluttered closed a distant echo arose from the depths of her mind-

_Narnia_.


	2. Chapter 1

**The Word**

_Chapter One_

Susan didn't know how long she dozed in that wonderful forest. It seemed like she had always been there, and yet she didn't feel hungry or lonely. Just blissfully unaware. She would have remained that way too if she didn't feel a scratching on her hand. Looking down she spotted a guinea pig crawling across her hand. Susan smiled to herself at the sight. It looked as though he was hurrying along to someplace important and that Susan was just a giant obstacle that he had to climb over. 'How odd to find a guinea pig here of all places'_,_ Susan mused to herself. Thinking about the guinea pig made her think of other things. With a lurch Susan sat up as thoughts of her daughter and husband came to her mind.

Susan scrambled to her feet, horrified with herself when she realized that she had forgotten about them. 'It's this forest!' She thought wildly. 'It's making me forget!' Susan leaned over to look into the pool that she had climbed out of. She could see nothing but clear blue water. She hadn't expected to see the parking lot, though. It was magic, after all.

With a deep breath Susan collapsed beside the pool. Magic. She hadn't thought of magic in years. After all, those games that she and her brothers and sister had played _were_ just games, right? At least that was what she had told herself.

Susan narrowed her eyes in anger. Aslan. This was his doing, no doubt. How typical of him. First he brings to her a world where she is made a queen, the only place in the world where she felt completely happy and safe, and then sends her away, telling her that she can never return. So, she decides to forget that life, a life she can never regain, and when she is finally becomes happy living in her own world once more he snatches her away again. It wasn't fair. Why must he punish her?

As Susan drug a hand across her eyes, smearing her mascara, she noticed a small red flag sticking out of the grass next to the pool. It was a simple flag with a thin metal spike and a red triangular piece of cloth attached to it. But somehow it didn't belong. It was too modern, too ordinary to fit into this strange forest. Something strange was going on. 'Well, who cares?' Susan sniffed. 'Aslan can take care of it himself.'

Susan was determined to get back to her home. Mary must be worried sick. What kind of mother would she be if she left her child all alone? John would be coming home from work soon and she needed to get dinner ready. Not to mention she still had to sort through the mail and file the bills. Oh, and the living room was an absolute _mess_.

With a forceful push, Susan stood up on her shaking legs. With a great heave she jumped into the pool, nearly breaking her heel in the process. But to her horror and dismay the water simply lapped at her ankles. It was nothing but a shallow puddle.

"No, no, no, no…" Susan breathed. This couldn't be happening! She had to get back! She just had to!

"Think, Susan. Just calm down and think." Susan whispered to herself as she closed her eyes and took in shallow breaths in an attempt to soothe her nerves. There must be a reason why Aslan had summoned her here. But what was it? Susan opened her eyes and looked around. There was nothing here except for trees, puddles, a guinea pig, and a flag. 'It's not even a talking guinea pig.' Susan thought with disappointment as she stared at the little creature waddling across the ground. Then she noticed something glinting in its mouth.

Bending down, Susan saw that it was a plain green ring. The forest seemed to get stranger and stranger with every passing second. She began to follow the guinea pig as it slowly made its way through the forest. Eventually the guinea pig came upon its little nest where it placed the little green ring next a yellow ring. Not far from the guinea pig, Susan noticed another little flag perched next to a pool. This one, however, had a yellow flag instead of a red one.

Susan regarded the rings for a moment. Perhaps the rings had something to do with why she had been brought here? Susan plucked the rings from the guinea pig's nest, feeling bad for the little creature when it gave out a little squeak. She placed the green ring onto her finger. Nothing happened. Taking it off, she placed the yellow one on. Again, nothing happened. 'Aha!' She thought and put both rings on at the same time. Nothing happened.

Susan placed the rings into her dress pocket and frowned. Maybe it had something to do with the pools? Moving over to stand in the pool with the yellow flag, Susan reached into her pocket to pull out one of the rings. Her fingers brushed against the metal and instantly she felt herself being pulled down under, just like she had in the parking lot. Again, Susan seized with panic and fought her way to the surface. When she emerged she saw to her dismay that the pool had not led her to her world. But she certainly wasn't in Narnia either.

Susan saw a great and terrible city made of black stone spires burning to the ground.


	3. Chapter 2

**The Word**

_Chapter 2_

Mary sprawled across her bed, thumbing through her new book _Over Sea, Under Stone_. It was a book that was all about magic and adventure, her favorite kind of stories. She wished she could go on an adventure like the children in her book. But her mother wouldn't so much as let her out of the house. She'd have a heart attack if she knew that Mary was off having an adventure.

Mary could hear the sudden barking of the neighbor's dogs. Mary huffed to herself as the sound became annoying. They were going absolutely wild. She idly wondered if one of the Johnson boys were teasing them again. Suddenly the barking stopped. She heard a soft whine of one of the dogs before that was quickly cut off too. Curious, Mary stood up and looked out her bedroom window. She couldn't see the dogs, however, or anything that would make them stop barking like that. It was all rather unsettling. With a shiver Mary quickly closed her curtains.

TWTWTW

Screams filled the air and the thick black smoke made it impossible to see clearly. Choking on a mouthful of ash Susan looked around in hopes of finding out where she was or what was going on. She saw a group of women, children, and old men running in her direction. They wore the same sort of garb that she used to wear when she was Queen Susan the Gentle.

Susan immediately jumped into action. Running over to the frightened group she called out, "Please! Please! Tell me what is happening!"

One of the old men immediately took hold of her hand, pulling her along as the group ran. "Strange men who seek what should not be sought have set fire to our beloved city! They have taken our Queen hostage and have declared war!"

"Who are these men? What do they seek?" Susan demanded to know.

"Halt!"

The group of trembling citizens immediately stopped in their tracks as they became aware of the fact that they were surrounded. Susan felt her mouth drop, for once forgetting how rude it was to stand there with one's mouth open.

The men were soldiers. Soldiers from her world. Standing there in green fatigues with guns trained on them. In a way, seeing them here in all places, was stranger than seeing a beaver talk for the first time.

One of the soldiers jerked the gun in the direction of the old man. "Zazamel?" The soldier asked. The old man nodded. "You are to be escorted to the castle." The soldier turned to his brothers-in-arm. "Take the others to the holding site." Susan dimly realized that he was speaking with an American accent.

"Hey, you're not a Algonian! Who are you?" One of the soldiers demanded. Susan realized they were talking to her when the guns fixed themselves onto her. _Oh, right_, Susan thought. Being here, seeing these people… she had forgotten that she wasn't one of them. That she was still dressed in her stylish wool dress and pumps. Well, stylish for Britain. She just felt awkwardly out of place here.

"I'm Susan Black… I'm from England." She said.

"How did you get here?"

"I'm not sure." She admitted.

"What should we do with her?" One soldier asked. "There aren't supposed to be any civilians here."

"We'll take her back to the castle with the _wizard_." Susan saw a sneer cross the soldier's face at the word 'wizard'.

With a jerk of his head the soldier gave the order to begin marching. The old man, Zazamel, continued to hold her hand. Worry and fear were apparent on his wrinkled face. Susan gave the hand a little squeeze. "Do not worry. I am sure it will be all right." She whispered into his ear.

"You do not understand." Zazamel whispered back. "They want… they want to destroy the entire universe."

Susan sucked in a deep breath. How could that be possible? Why would the Americans want to destroy the universe? What did this world have to do anything? How did they even get here? Susan would admit that she questioned many of Aslan's decisions, but she knew that he would never call foreign soldiers into Narnia… or, well, whatever this place was called.

The trip through the city was a horrifying experience. Everywhere she looked she saw decay and destruction. Bodies were lying in pools of their blood. Just left there in the middle of the streets. Civilians were crying in the alleyways as they were being led by the soldiers. What Susan could see was once a great city now only stood empty shells of black stone buildings.

The castle, however, remained largely intact. It was tall and imposing; a true fortress. It was a rather intimidating sight to behold, nothing at all like Cair Paravel. Susan jumped at the name as it arose from her mind. It was strange. When she would tell little stories about Narnia to her daughter she could barely recall what names she and her siblings had used for places. But now it just came to her as though she had never forgotten. Perhaps because she now knew, without a doubt, that it really did happen. It was just some wondrous dream that she had been forced to wake up from. It had happened. She had been there.

The soldiers led them inside the castle. It was just as bleak and depressing on the inside as it was on the out. There were no beautiful tapestries or elegant luxuries. Just cold black stone. As they reached deeper into the castle the soldiers separated into two groups. Susan watched with a heavy heart as a few of the soldiers took Zazamel down a small, dark hallway.

Susan was led into a large room. It stood out amongst the rest of the castle with its gigantic black stone fireplace. A roaring fire had been lit, giving the room an almost cozy feel. Next to the mantel stood a British soldier, who was shifting through some type of report. Glancing up, he saw Susan standing there looking decidedly out of place.

"And who might you be?" He asked rather politely.

"Susan Black." She answered. The soldier cocked an eyebrow at the name.

"Susan Black?" He mused. "Was your maiden name Pevensie?"

Susan felt her insides grow cold. "Yes." She answered.

The soldier smiled at her, a rather cold, off-putting smile. "Well, that's splendid. Absolutely splendid."


	4. Chapter 3

Author's Note – This is a very short chapter. Sorry, I'll make the next one longer. I'll also be sure to include John who, as I realized while writing this, that I haven't actually shown yet.

**The Word**

_Chapter 3_

"What do you want from me?" Susan asked quietly.

"Nothing much… just some information." The soldier assured. He stepped close to her. "What can you tell me of Professor Digory Kirke?"

"Professor Kirke?" Susan asked, completely confused. "But he died a little over fifteen years ago." Along with the rest of her family.

The soldier looked at her expectantly. "Yes, I am aware of that. Tell me, what was your relationship with him?"

Susan felt herself stiffen. She had no desire to speak to this man about Professor Kirke, or anything related to him. "He was a family friend. I had stayed in his home during the Blitz." She said curtly.

The soldier did not look convinced. "Just a family friend? You were named in his will. You and your siblings, I believe. Of course, it's a terrible shame how they all perished in that horrible train accident. But that made you the sole benefactor. You inherited everything."

At the mention of her brothers and sister, Susan felt herself becoming angry. The fear that had settled deep within her stomach since she had arrived dissipated as she drew herself up to her full height, looking all the more like the queen she was. "And what of it?" She demanded coolly. "I don't see why it would be any business of yours."

"It isn't just _my_ business. This is a matter of national security."

Susan couldn't help but laugh a little at that. "How could it possibly be a matter of national security? Professor Kirke was just a sweet old man!"

The soldier's amused expression vanished from his face. "I can assure you it is. Your 'family friend' had within his possession information that is of vital importance. Which would now be, since his death, in _your_ possession."

Susan turned slightly away from the soldier, absently gazing at the décor. Silently telling the other man that he wasn't worth her time. She dimly recalled using this type of body language on particularly annoying suitors in Narnia. "When I inherited Professor Kirke's estate I thoroughly and meticulously inspected every possession and document. There was nothing that could be of use to you or anyone but me."

"Yes, I am completely sure." The soldier hissed. "But just to make sure we will be sending someone to inspect your house and any artifacts that had once been possessed by Digory Kirke…" He turned back to his folder, before suddenly looking up at her again. "Oh, and of course we will be interrogating your husband and daughter, of course. Take her to a holding cell."

Before Susan could protest two soldiers came and escorted her from the room.

TWTWTW

Mary frowned as she looked at the clock in the kitchen. Five hours had passed since her mother had left for the store. It was eight o'clock in the evening and not only had her mother not returned but her father had not come home from work either. She had called the bank and had been assured that her father had left on time, and yet…

Mary chewed her lip nervously. Something was wrong, but what was she supposed to do? She couldn't just sit around waiting for them all night. Making up her mind Mary threw on her shoes and left the house.

The store was a little ways away from the house and it took her almost half an hour to get there on foot. Mary felt her stomach drop when she walked into the parking lot. Her mother's car was still there and she could see that the driver's door hadn't even been shut all the way. Mary's mother always made sure to shut the door and lock it when she entered or exited the car. She was paranoid about being carjacked. Mary had always made fun of her for it. Now it looked like something _had_ happened to her. Mary felt like crying.

She stood there forlornly in the parking lot wondering what it was she was supposed to do.


End file.
